Weddings are normally happy occasions.
But Naomi Robertson-Murray’s world was turned upside down, while she was attending a friend’s ceremony in Canada four years ago.
The Aberdeen mum was just 29 when she discovered a lump on her breast in July 2013. But it immediately forced her to change all her plans and transformed her life.
As soon as she arrived home, she went to see her doctor, because she had first-hand knowledge of the dreadful effects of cancer.
After all, Mrs Robertson-Murray lost her own mother to the disease when she was just 14.
She recalled: “My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996 at the age of 35 and lost her fight three years later.”
After being prescribed with antidepressants in April, 2016, the Courage on the Catwalk model was herself found to have grade three invasive ductal carcinoma in August.
She has subsequently endured a gruelling course of treatments, including six sessions of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and reconstruction and she is beginning 15 sessions of radiotherapy this week.
And all of this has been going on while she has been rehearsing with 23 other ladies from the north-east for the Courage on the Catwalk fundraising event run by Friends of Anchor.
“I knew about Friends of Anchor from when my mum had cancer and visited the hospital,” said Mrs Robertson-Murray, who lives in Stuartfield, near Peterhead.
“But I only became fully aware of Courage when my friends nominated me to take part.”
Receiving the news she had the same illness which killed her mother was devastating, but the family have turned the illness on its head to make the best of it.
She added: “I definitely felt very angry about it. But, as Albert Einstein said: ‘In the middle of every difficulty is opportunity’.
“I pledged when I was diagnosed to raise funds for research, which I kicked off last year”.
With the support of her three-year-old daughter, Layla, and husband Neil, whom she married in 2011, the family have already raised more than £11,00 for Stand Up To Cancer.
“My husband and three friends did a triathlon-style event and then we had a family fun day,” said the full-time mum who is also self-employed in direct sales and worked throughout all of her treatments.
Mrs Robertson-Murray will take to the catwalk this weekend as one of 24 models in the annual event at the Beach Ballroom as her husband and daughter look on.
She stated: “I love getting glammed up. It is the best feeling ever”.
